Probably the hippy-est of Black Hippy, Ab-Soul’s long hair, shades and dark lips instantly distinguish him from the other TDE’s other personalities. After patiently waiting while Kendrick, Q, and Jay Rock each gained critical acclaim, it’s finally his turn to step up into the limelight and take the shot at bat today with the release of Control System. Read the rest of this entry »

In a genre where honesty is so often the first thing to be left behind when artists start hitting the big stage, Locksmith remains an emcee who hasn’t strayed from his message. His first project of the year, Labyrinth, is no different. As Lock continues to churn out stellar singles like “My Character” and my personal favorite, “Slight Disgust,” his musical integrity hasn’t shown the first signs of wavering. Read the rest of this entry »

In a gimmick-driven game, T.Shirt’s as straightforward as an artist can get. When he says he’s lived all his album titles, he’s sincere as all get-out and the persona seen and heard in his music isn’t a stage prop to push singles. Read the rest of this entry »

Being a recording engineer or a mixer often times is an unheralded position. The artist always gets most of the credit while few understand how the behind-the-scenes players influence the music. With the rise of Kendrick Lamar and Black Hippy, Top Dawg Entertainment has always credited their music as Mixed by Ali to make it obvious who’s responsible for these elements. Read the rest of this entry »

SXSW creates networking opportunities that allow paths to cross that may not under any other circumstances. Case in point would be me bumping into Dorrough Music and chopping it up when he arrived early to shoot in the gym with us on a Saturday morning. What I learned about the young Dallas rapper was Read the rest of this entry »

If you go to a Big K.R.I.T. show, DJ Wally Sparks’ voice is the first one you’ll hear long before anyone else hits the stage. He’s the DJ. Read the rest of this entry »

Amidst an intimate setting at The Belmont in Austin, TX a few weeks back, Hot 97′s Peter Rosenberg orchestrated the latest installment of his Noisemakers interview series*, which highlighted the current legend of the hour – Nas. Although the QB king started off shaky, Rosenberg managed to Read the rest of this entry »

When DJ Premier and Nasty Nas are included in the program, the show typically sells out. So, instead of questioning the line about this time-traveling trio being “the new breed” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been seven long years since Mobb Deep released a full-length album together and much has changed since then. Havoc explored his options as a solo producer while Prodigy served time in prison until last year. During their hiatus from recording, they left a gaping hole that had new rappers aspiring to fill the Queensbridge duo’s suede Timbs. Read the rest of this entry »

As New Orleans MC Dee-1 travels the country for his “Too Focused To Fail” tour, we asked him to do a handful of entries detailing his experiences as a young artist growing a reputation and laying the building blocks for his legacy. Today, we present the first entry in Dee’s “Too Focused To Fail” Road Journal. Read the rest of this entry »

Their area codes reside in different time zones, but Meridian, Mississippi’s Big K.R.I.T. and Massillon, Ohio’s Stalley have a lot in common. Both talented lyricists are willing and able to rap about more than party and bullshit, and 2011 saw the young duo reach unprecedented levels of success, punctuated by a pair of acclaimed mixtapes and several high-profile guest appearances. Read the rest of this entry »

Unlike most rappers, Don Trip doesn’t rap just to get rich. In an era of Hip-Hop where hard work is paying off more than ever, many MCs have upped their output in hopes of capitalizing on the law of averages. Yet, for the Memphis up & comer who’s currently on one of the genre’s hottest streaks, the relentless amount of releases he’s put out over the past year aren’t because he’s trying to show off his new found clout. Read the rest of this entry »

Adidas designer Robbie Fuller has one of the toughest jobs in the footwear industry. As one of the lead creative minds charged with constructing Derrick Rose’s signature sneakers, Fuller has all eyes on his work on a nightly basis. With Rose as one of the rising faces of the NBA, Fuller’s job is twofold Read the rest of this entry »

Graphics: BEWARE

Valentine’s Day is about lust just as much it is about love, but those cutesy Hallmark cards and Zales commercials won’t ever give you the full skinny. San Fran’s LoveRance scored himself a pair of hits with the sexually-charged original and remix in “Up!” (as in reenacting human dynamite in between lady’s legs) Read the rest of this entry »

What is an album anymore? As more artists begin to take their careers independent, the idea of a glitzy, major label LP begins to lose its luster. Mixtapes and self-releases have become the new barometer Read the rest of this entry »